Yesterday, July 10th, crews working on the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project added a new painted crossing at E Burnside Street and 80th Avenue. The freshly applied street markings include zebra-striped white crosswalks for pedestrians and dashed green-painted bike lanes running north to south. These infrastructure improvements do not alter the rules of the intersection but will alert drivers to expect frequent bicycle and pedestrian crossing.
This site is one of several Montavilla intersections receiving enhancements to support safe travel for people walking, running, or biking the city. However, work on this intersection also delivers a long-requested safe crossing point for children traveling to Vestal School. The education facility’s main entrance is along NE 82nd Avenue, but some students prefer accessing the school’s playground through an alley entrance on NE 80th Avenue. The 80th Avenue and E Burnside Street intersection is a natural place for neighborhood families to cross on their way to the school. However, it had grown unsafe over the years as commuter traffic increased on E Burnside Street.
Crews completed work in the intersection within one day, and the new infrastructure is already helping people cross E Burnside Street. Expect more changes along the 70s Neighborhood Greenway path throughout the summer, and drivers should be ready to yield to the increased bike and pedestrian traffic using this new infrastructure.
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